With ever increasing environmental pressures being placed on the oil industry it has become necessary to develop and employ products and methods of well treatment which can perform in a timely fashion, be cost effective and conform to the stricter controls now in place.
It is known in the art that oil fields can become extremely viscous due to a heavy concentration of paraffin, asphaltene, or a combination of both and other organics in the formation. Paraffin plugs stop oil recovery completely until they are cleared. Indeed, these deposits can result in reduced oil production, fouling of flow lines and down hole piping, under deposit corrosions, reductions in gas production, and increased pumping costs due to pumping a high viscosity fluid. Each of these conditions individually can result in lost revenue. The combination of two or more of these conditions will lead to a significant revenue loss to the well owner, as well as additional income spent due to clean up of oil spills caused by under deposit corrosion or other flow restrictions. Moreover, the differing oxygen concentrations (and other corrosive compounds which may be present and intensify the corrosiveness of the oil) in bulk oil with respect to the oxygen levels extant beneath the deposit result in localized, rapid corrosion of the piping and eventual oil leaks. What is needed is a environmentally friendly, recyclable composition and methods for reducing the viscosity of crude oils in the field to facilitate extraction.